On the first day of the new year on Thursday, students across various districts, including Barishal, Magura, Rajshahi, Gaibandha, and Chuadanga, received their new textbooks, marking the beginning of the 2026 academic year.
Despite the national three-day mourning period following the death of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, which led to the cancellation of traditional book festivals, schools ensured that textbooks were quietly distributed to students.
In Barishal, 1,588 primary schools required 1,167,208 books for the pre-primary level. According to Mustafa Kamal, an official from the Barishal Primary Education Department, 1,164,600 books have already been delivered, with the remaining 2,608 expected soon.
At the secondary level, 6,961,930 books were needed, and 4,710,503 books have already been distributed. For technical and vocational education, 13,870,646 books are required, with 11,847,477 books delivered, which is 73.23 per cent of the total requirement.
Barishal Zilla School’s headteacher, Mohammad Nurul Islam, stated that although no formal events were held due to the mourning, students still received their new books in classrooms. Students expressed their happiness, looking forward to the new academic challenges.
In Magura, the traditional book distribution took place without fanfare. A total of 503 primary schools, 175 secondary schools, 74 madrasas, and 10 technical institutions distributed books to students. At Narihati Government Primary School, children excitedly flipped through their new books, with some already writing their names and others eagerly examining the pictures.
Maria Begum, Sumaiya Shimu, and Kongkon Biswas, students at Narihati, shared their excitement, saying, it felt so good to get new books on the first day of the year.
Meanwhile, in Rajshahi’s Paba Upazila, students at Nowhata Government High School and Government Primary School received their books at 10 am.
Ninth-grade student Nahian Hasan expressed his joy, saying, “It feels great to get books on the first day of the new year. New books mean new preparation, and now I can start studying right away.”
Another student, Maisha Nishat, shared her excitement, saying, “The smell of new books and the joy of turning the fresh pages is different. Although there’s no celebration, I’m really happy to get the books.”
Nowhata Government High School’s headteacher Omar Ali emphasised the importance of receiving textbooks at the start of the academic year. “Without books, students face difficulties following the class lessons. With textbooks, they can keep up with their studies and plan their home studies,” he said. He also noted that while textbooks for grades 6 and 9 were available, books for grades 7 and 8 were still missing.
He assured that the district’s education office was working on it and hoped that all books would be distributed by mid-January.
The quiet but meaningful distribution of textbooks in Barishal, Magura, and Rajshahi not only marked the beginning of a new academic year but also reaffirmed the importance of education in shaping the future of the students, even amidst a period of national mourning.
In Gaibandha, the distribution started early in the morning, with students across seven upazilas receiving their books quietly. Due to the national mourning, the usual book festivals were replaced with simple book distribution in classrooms.
In Chuadanga, primary school students received their new books with great excitement, holding them tightly and flipping through the pages with joy. Like the other districts, no grand celebrations were held, but students were nonetheless thrilled to begin the year with new educational material.
The quiet yet meaningful distribution across these districts not only marked the start of the academic year but also highlighted the resilience of the education system, ensuring that students had the necessary tools to succeed, even amid a period of national mourning.
